By Hussein al-Amir
BAGHDAD (AA) – The bodies of two customs officials were discovered early Thursday in Iraq’s Diyala province hours after they were abducted by unidentified gunmen, according to a local police source.
Diyala Police Captain Habib al-Shammari told Anadolu Agency that the bodies of the two officials — whose names have not been made public — were found near the Kirkuk-Baghdad highway in Diyala’s Al-Azim district.
“The victims were abducted late Wednesday night by unidentified gunmen believed to be associated with the Daesh terrorist group,” al-Shammari said.
Last year, officials in Baghdad declared that Daesh's military presence in Iraq had been all but dismantled following a three-year war with the Iraqi armed forces.
Nevertheless, the notorious terrorist group appears to maintain active “sleeper cells ” in certain parts of the country, including Diyala.
